Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

For those on Yosemite Intellivision shirt watch - today we got Yer Out! (oh and some waterfalls and stuff)

I am a bit of a PC battle stations whore and I noticed in the Announcement video that both the developer from Las Mesa and BBG had these slant displays (maybe digitizer tablets?) in front of their development rigs. Any clue on what those are?

I know this or a similar question has been asked. So if anyone knows let me know. 

Ok so I know the games cannot be stored on the controller to play on the go. Like a mobile unit. But can it play on the controller if you stay close to the console like the wii u ? 

7 hours ago, Relicgamer said:

I know this or a similar question has been asked. So if anyone knows let me know. 

Ok so I know the games cannot be stored on the controller to play on the go. Like a mobile unit. But can it play on the controller if you stay close to the console like the wii u ? 

From job descriptions it looks like they are using an ESP32 chip in the controllers. Those are low power (good for battery life) and big on sensor & connectivity options but are typically single or dual core, 160 to 240 MHz (M not G). Also they are programmed like Aurdino - they run a single application only, no real OS like Android or Linux. So generally this means they can’t run actual Amico games - not enough ram, cpu speed, differently programmed and no OS support features.
 

instead what will happen is they will probably get a specialized “OS” for these little mini computers for each game to do things like manage cards or show the number of arrows & potions you got (this may even be done via scripting and the device just runs a script interpreter). However bottom line is it is a very different technology and can’t run Amico games natively (mini games yes, but not full games).

On 7/18/2020 at 8:36 AM, Tommy Tallarico said:

Here was a very early mock-up we did about a month after we got the official license and started working on it.  I'm not saying the game is going to look like this... this is merely a quick and early mock-up we did based on the original look of the game if it were reimagined.   A lot of the proportions are incorrect and again... merely only a very early mock-up just to start getting some initial ideas.  We did 4 or 5 of these, but I thought this one was pretty cool.

Let me again repeat... this is JUST a mock-up and .jpg... but something to maybe get folks a little excite.

 

Did I mention this is only an early mock-up?

Make sure your programmers play a lot of RBI and Baseball Stars on NE(obviously along with MLB & WSB on Intellivision).  RBI and Baseball stars are still two of the greatest baseball games on any system.

7 hours ago, Relicgamer said:

I know this or a similar question has been asked. So if anyone knows let me know. 

Ok so I know the games cannot be stored on the controller to play on the go. Like a mobile unit. But can it play on the controller if you stay close to the console like the wii u ? 

Like GrudgeQ said, games have to run on an Amico console.  Not sure how the wii u does it, but you're suggesting games run on the console but display on the controller only.  Controller displays have much lower refresh rates, and would interfere with the touchpad input so even if it were technically possible it would make for a poor experience.  And since most games will use the controller display as a second screen, playing these games on the controller only would not be possible.

Since there are not too many news about the Amico these days, I recommend this video from Game Sack: Funny, Interesting and Bad Controllers. It's about non-standard console controllers, most of them very weird.

I really like his style doing videos, but I wish his tastes were more varied: he seems totally obsessed with the 8 bit and 16 bit consoles, as if computer gaming or consoles such as the Atari 2600, Intellivision or even PS1, N64 and Saturn didn't exist. This is sadly too common in the retro world. I have a feeling he hates big pixels, both in 2D and in 3D. 🤨

But yeah, his videos are pretty fun and in this one, some of the controllers have interesing similarities with the Amico controller. I also liked that he showed some weird ass controllers or the NegCon. I honestly didn't know the NegCon worked like that.

With Tommy on Vacation and no real news forthcoming as it's been said a few times I wanted to remind everyone that has been around here of a few things that have been confirmed and not brought up again for a while. This may come as news to the newer people here:

A few hundred pages ago @Tommy Tallarico was mentioning having some way of having Physical buttons added to the screen on the controller. Not sure if the disc was brought up or not.  I think a spinner knob on the disc would add a lot to Breakout, pong, Tempest.  People were speculating on how it would be set up. But nothing concrete came of it at the teim. I think info was forthcoming on more of a Wouldn't that be something ^tm  moment for them.

Also for the newer people, Tempest was confirmed to be on the list. Just not started yet. I believe Warlords was as well. Once Activision is on board, I want to see Kaboom!

4 minutes ago, woobman said:

Tempest was confirmed to be on the list. Just not started yet. I believe Warlords was as well. Once Activision is on board, I want to see Kaboom!

Playing Tempest with the Amico controller will be awesome.  Hopefully we get Warlords too.  And yes to Kaboom.  

On 8/18/2020 at 8:47 AM, IMBerzerk said:

I agree with you.  I can (and have) build a rocking Retropie box with really nice looking cases from Retroflag that look like NES or Sega Genesis.  I don't want an expensive Atari case with a multi-game emulator.  I was hoping for a VCS rebirth like Amico.  

 

Not sure why they are going this route, but I'm not investing in it.  

 

Emulates 29 systems and plays well over 2000 games.... All for $120.  

I love all the Retroflag cases. I have a few. They are releasing a new one for the Rpi4.

Inside the cart is a 2.5" ssd. (You can install). This can be easily removed and insert another cartridge for a whole new experience. I don't think blowing on the connector is needed.

Here's the page for it:

http://retroflag.com/nespi-4-case.html

1 hour ago, woobman said:

A few hundred pages ago @Tommy Tallarico was mentioning having some way of having Physical buttons added to the screen on the controller. Not sure if the disc was brought up or not.  I think a spinner knob on the disc would add a lot to Breakout, pong, Tempest.  People were speculating on how it would be set up. But nothing concrete came of it at the teim. I think info was forthcoming on more of a Wouldn't that be something ^tm  moment for them.

From my recollection, adding a spinner device to the Amico controller would not work (seeing as how the disc needs to be pressed down for it to be functional). BUT, there may be some technology coming forth that allows some type of attachable spinner knob or spinning wheel that can interact with the touch screen?

Wouldn't that be AMAZING!?™

43 minutes ago, woobman said:

I love all the Retroflag cases. I have a few. They are releasing a new one for the Rpi4.

Inside the cart is a 2.5" ssd. (You can install). This can be easily removed and insert another cartridge for a whole new experience. I don't think blowing on the connector is needed.

 

Here's the page for it:

http://retroflag.com/nespi-4-case.html

 

+1 on Retroflag cases. This case comes at the perfect time because they just released USB boot for the Pi 4. Inside the case is a SATA to USB adapter so by plugging in the 'cartridge' you are actually plugging in an SSD to a USB 3 port. Perfect to give your pi a massive and more reliable storage upgrade. Also the included fan & heat sink are good enough for a nice overclock on a Pi 4 which gets you into N64 range or a nice responsive desktop.

Just a reminder the live Amico All Access podcast is hitting in about 5 hours CORRECTION: (7:00 PM EST, 6:00 pm CST, 4:00 PM PST)

1 hour ago, woobman said:

With Tommy on Vacation and no real news forthcoming as it's been said a few times I wanted to remind everyone that has been around here of a few things that have been confirmed and not brought up again for a while. This may come as news to the newer people here:

 

A few hundred pages ago @Tommy Tallarico was mentioning having some way of having Physical buttons added to the screen on the controller. Not sure if the disc was brought up or not.  I think a spinner knob on the disc would add a lot to Breakout, pong, Tempest.  People were speculating on how it would be set up. But nothing concrete came of it at the teim. I think info was forthcoming on more of a Wouldn't that be something ^tm  moment for them.

 

Also for the newer people, Tempest was confirmed to be on the list. Just not started yet. I believe Warlords was as well. Once Activision is on board, I want to see Kaboom!

If I remember right those physical buttons are mostly for phones to give you more tactile feedback on the massive flat slab o' glass - although they could be used on the Amico controller screen too.

I am really excited for Tempest, even with having to press down the disc (no free spinning going on like a real quality spinner) but still that interface is SO much better than keyboard, mouse or joystick to emulate a circular motion. Also I am hoping this makes it way to some racing games: steer with the disc, shoulder buttons for simple gas & brakes, maybe the screen to switch up & down gears if you want to get really fancy.

16 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

I am a bit of a PC battle stations whore and I noticed in the Announcement video that both the developer from Las Mesa and BBG had these slant displays (maybe digitizer tablets?) in front of their development rigs. Any clue on what those are?

 

Tiltable touch screen monitor. I’ve seen them sold by Dell. I imagine they just give you more screen space to work with. It’s one of those jobs where you never have enough screen space. As for that odd side attachment with the silver thermometer looking doohickey, I got nothing for you. 

I've talked about Bishi Bashi Special before, but I wanted to recommend the game. Really fun and crazy mini-game game from Konami for the PS1, but it didn't come out in the USA and you need a modded console or some kind of emulation if you live there (or an European console!).

This recent review of the game is amazing because it does a 5 second review of each of the 100 or so minigames.

Most mini-games are only up to 2 players and only a few crazy ones allow for 3, but the game has a tournament mode for several players.

Some of the mini-games are very Amico-ish: Shoot the Tank, Haaa!, Pie... Others are incredibly fun and simple and use only 2 directions, such as Punch (my favorite) or Bomb.

The Amico could use a game like this.

3 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

+1 on Retroflag cases. This case comes at the perfect time because they just released USB boot for the Pi 4. Inside the case is a SATA to USB adapter so by plugging in the 'cartridge' you are actually plugging in an SSD to a USB 3 port. Perfect to give your pi a massive and more reliable storage upgrade. Also the included fan & heat sink are good enough for a nice overclock on a Pi 4 which gets you into N64 range or a nice responsive desktop.

can these be purchased with the pi in them already?

5 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

If I remember right those physical buttons are mostly for phones to give you more tactile feedback on the massive flat slab o' glass - although they could be used on the Amico controller screen too.

 

I am really excited for Tempest, even with having to press down the disc (no free spinning going on like a real quality spinner) but still that interface is SO much better than keyboard, mouse or joystick to emulate a circular motion. Also I am hoping this makes it way to some racing games: steer with the disc, shoulder buttons for simple gas & brakes, maybe the screen to switch up & down gears if you want to get really fancy.

I don't think it's been mentioned in awhile, but did I miss how the controls could potentially work for Safe Cracker? I will have to go find and watch the video again but that could be interesting with the disc if it uses that. 

2 hours ago, mtamborra said:

can these be purchased with the pi in them already?

Not that I know of. The RetroFlag web site directs you to the US Amazon store although the actual case ships out of China at this point. You can order a Pi 4 off of Amazon but they don't have the best prices. I would check the official raspberry pi website for a retailer near you: https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/

If you just want to know how to mount the Pi inside the case, check out ETA Prime YouTube channel and search for NesPI 4 for a complete tutorial.

12 hours ago, Machine said:

 

Make sure your programmers play a lot of RBI and Baseball Stars on NE(obviously along with MLB & WSB on Intellivision).  RBI and Baseball stars are still two of the greatest baseball games on any system.

Have you played Reggie Jackson Baseball on Master System? It's fantastic!

1 hour ago, MantaNZ said:

Have you played Reggie Jackson Baseball on Master System? It's fantastic!

I have, but not as fun as RBI or Baseball Stars. I remember when I first discovered you could climb the outfield wall and rob a homerun(baseball stars). Such a cool feature....

@Tommy Tallaricol

First.. Enjoy your vacation.  Yosemite is amazing and no doubt will leave you with a sense being truly in tune with nature and humble you to how beautiful the Earth really is.   An amazing place. 

Second... Would you be interested in talking with Retroflag and allow them to produce a Raspberry Pi case that pays homage to the Intellivision?  Probably the INTV II would do well, but overall, nothing is on the market other than gutting an Intellivision Flashback.  

Would be great to see a high quality case like they make of the INTY and also the Atari VCS Heavy Sixer.  

Thanks 

On 8/18/2020 at 9:12 PM, GrudgeQ said:

I don't know exactly what it is, but likely a touchscreen designed for drawing. Wacom is known for these. Here's Scott Adams using his and working on a Dilbert comic strip.

35 minutes ago, AmicoBoise said:

I don't know exactly what it is, but likely a touchscreen designed for drawing. Wacom is known for these. Here's Scott Adams using his and working on a Dilbert comic strip.

 

I think you won the prize, it look like a Watcom Cintiq like Scott Adams is using (plus super cool video - many thanks). Very cool but very pricey - $2,500 to $3,300 for the larger sizes.